Where The Newspaper Stands

September 28, 2004

Vote early

Young people can change the outcome -- and their world

How many political outreach tools feature Lil' Kim? (If you have to ask who she is, you don't want to know.)

The ones that use slogans like "Rock the Vote," which is also the name of the non-profit organization whose Web site features a photo of Lil' Kim posed as if registering to vote. The ones that use catchy slogans like "Chicks rock, chicks vote." Or Cingular's "Get loud, be heard." Or Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' ominous "Vote or die."

These campaigns, targeted at the 18-to-something crowd, run the gamut from Rock the Vote, which resonates to an MTV-style vibe, to Virginia21, whose staid materials feature well-scrubbed, manifestly responsible collegians.

They're all heading into the Election Day home stretch, trying to get young people to register, to vote, to become informed and get involved ... to care. They aim, in Rock the Vote's sober phraseology, to "empower young people to change their world." (It claims to have gotten 900,000 registered.)

Will all those new voters make a difference in the outcome of the Nov. 2 presidential election? Count on the analysts and pollsters to try to figure that out. But the voting drives certainly could have a longer-term and widespread benefit if they convince young people that they have the power to influence the outcome of elections -- and a stake in that outcome. If they can mobilize a generation to get involved in local, state and national issues, to formulate and share their views of what ought to be and then to work to realize those visions.

Locally, there have been some bright signs. The controversy over which college students could register to vote in Williamsburg presented a problem more communities should have -- bright young people who clamor to get involved.

Virginia21 was birthed by William and Mary students to rally support for the 2002 college bond issue and went on to mobilize student voices -- loudly -- in defense of higher education as the General Assembly battled over budget priorities. It is parlaying its success in advocating for education into a larger role as a non-partisan "action tank" getting students across the state involved in political life and promoting civic engagement.

The priority now is voter registration, and Virginia21 is using students' natural habitat, the Internet, to do it. Last week it sponsored "Virginia 2010: The Summit on Tomorrow," bringing together college students and business, community and political leaders in Richmond. The allure of all those young voters was enough to get the gubernatorial contenders, Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine and Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, to come to two town hall sessions, and Gov. Mark Warner and Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Chichester to speak at lunch.

The visibility and controversy of an important, closely matched presidential election may get young people to register and vote. Polls suggest they will turn out in greater numbers than in recent elections.

The trick will be to keep them involved, to harness all that energy and all those ideas in service of all the needs in their cities, towns, counties and states. Those communities could do a lot to further that by appointing more young people to positions where they will be heard and gain experience, on the endless committees and boards that do the work of representative government. Political people and organizations could help by addressing the issues of interest to young people and articulating how broader issues affect them, not just paying lip service to them when trolling for votes. And groups like Virginia21 can help by keeping on recruiting, coordinating and empowering young voters. *

READY TO VOTE

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 2 election is 5 p.m. Monday.

MCI, hanging up

Job loss will hurt, but no one should be surprised

When you try to get help on the telephone, you can pretty much count on having to go through a menu of "options," press one, press two, press pound. Sooner or later you'll get to a real person.

And when you do, maybe the person on the other end of the conversation will actually be somewhere in the United States. Or not. India is a good bet.

Anyway, in this environment it's disappointing -- but not surprising -- to see that MCI is closing its Newport News call center in November. Five hundred people are losing their jobs, and that's going to be a hit on the local economy.

Less than 10 years ago, call centers were flowering across Hampton Roads. While they didn't offer the greatest jobs in the world, they came with middle-level wages and benefits. And some, such as MCI, provided the additional benefit of moving into properties that, had they remained empty, would have been a drag on nearby commercial areas.

But changes in technology, the increase in outsourcing of jobs (the fellow in India can handle your inquiry at less expense to his company than someone living in Denbigh) and public resistance to telephone solicitation have hurt the call center business.

In and of themselves, the changes aren't bad. Federal "Do Not Call" legislation reflects the public's instance on being able to avoid intrusive calls. Employers naturally seek out efficiencies, including lower labor costs. Companies other than MCI with call center services have also been reducing their work force, and as for MCI, well, it has had its own unique troubles.

The layoffs, aside from the financial burden they create, will no doubt contribute to the general sense of economic insecurity many in our community feel. They'll be trying to find jobs before Santa arrives, bringing a sleigh full of bills. *